williamson



UNTTRD STATES RUBBER BOOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent V Application tltd Tidy 2S, 1931i. (No model.)

-lie it known that l, .Tous J'. \\'il.i3i.\,\lso.\', of Boston, in the county ot' Suffolk and State ofhlassachusetts, a citizen of thellnited Stat-es, have invented a new and useful [inprovenient in Rubber or (hun loots, of whiehthe following is a full, clear, and exact descriydion, rel'- ercnee being had to the accompanying drawings, forminga-part o1'l this speciiication. in explaining its nature, in which# .Figure Il, represents a perspective rim' ol' a rubber boot containing my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof 5 and lfi represents the boot with the leg folded down to enable the foot to bc inserted into the foot pori tion of the boot before the leg portion drawn and fastened into posit-ion on the leg.

The object of this invention a rubber or gunt boot having a leg of light and flexible material, and perfectly water-prooi'.

Itis well known that the ordinary rubber' or gum boot ofthe market has a stiff, iniiexible leg of rubber orguin, of substantially the same thickness as the lower or foot portion of the boot, and that this construction has been fol lowed in order to make the leg stiff enough to stand. It is also well known that by making the leg in this way the boot is made very heavy and clumsy. There is also another style of rubber boot, made especially for ladies wear, of a lighter construction 3 but the leg portion of this boot is of the same thickness as the foot, and is muchheavier than is necessary; and my invention is designed to obviate the objections to these forms of boots, and at the same time cheapen their construction.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the foot portion of a rubber or gum boot, and B the leg. This portion, however, instead of being made of the saine thickness as that of the foot, or instead of being made heavy enough to stand alone, is constructed of a thin, ilexible waterproof material, like gossamer rubber cloth, and preferably is of the general shape and contour of the leg, and may be made of any desirable length. As, however, abootleg made from light pliable material of this nature will not stand or remain upright, it is necessary to provide means for fastening the same to the leg to hold it in position, and for this purpose I use a strap, b, which is fastened at one end to the boot-leg, and passes through PATENT @Brien No. 296,495, dated April 8,1884.

l a loop, d, also fastened. to the boot, and llaving at its end a sliding buckle, c, which slides upon the strap lo tighten or loosen it, 0r an elastic strap may be led continuously around the upper section of the boot to embrace the leg, or a cord nia-y be inserted in loops at the i top in such a manner that' its ends may be used l to tighten the boot-leg; or a gere orlace openl ing` may be made in the upper part of the leg,

i and the boot-leg` may be. laced to the leg by a t suitable lacing-cord; but I do'eoniine inyscli' 'f to the especial method of fastening thc boot i leg to the leg ofthe wearer, as there are many i other obvious ways of so doing, and for the purposes of the invention one is sufficient.

rlhe bootleg may be provided with elastic gores c at or near the ankle, to cause t-he boot to fit thc foot tightly at the instep and lower portion ofthe leg.

I have described the leg as made of gossenierP7 rubber cloth, which, technically, is a solarized fabric; but it may be ot' any light rubber or gum cloth, vulcanized or ma-ckintoshj7 or, indeed, oi' the water-proof repellent l fabric, made with alumina salts or alumina soap, without depart-ing from the essential spirit of the invention, which is to have the footpart of a rubber boot of the usual thickness and wearing quality and the leg part of a very light water-proof material, which may be, if desired, wrinkled down about the ankle or pulled up to protect the leg from wet.

In making the boot, when rubber, gossanier, or other flexible material is used, the ordinary method of making rubber boots is employed, and the leg portion is separately formed and united to the foot portion by vulcanization; or, when a material is used for the boot-leg which will not be damaged by heat, it may be united to the rubber or gum foot portion in the vnlcanizing process1 in which case the lower edge of the boot-leg should be frayed or provided with extensions, upon the inner and outer surface of which the rubber can be vulcanized for the purpose of securing a strong union. The boot-leg may also be united to the foot portion by sewing, or in any other desirable way.

The light, pliable leg-section may have one or two seams-that is, it'may be formed of one piece of material, in which case the seam may be upon one side or the back of the leg, or it IOO muy be :nude oltwo pieces ol' inateriul, inueh :is the ordinary boot-leg,r is mudo; or it muy be vulcanized to shape, in whieh ease it will have no senin, but simply un opening nt the top und :it the bottom, and the bottoni will be shaped to adapt it to be vulcanized or otherwise llistened te the rubber or gum l'oot portion ol' the boot.

'lo pnt on the boot, it will be well to firm-nge the leg :is represented in Fig. fS-t-hfit is, to partly turn out-the upper portion oi' the bootleser to expose the inner section 11nd the strap f, which is uttuehed to the boot upon the in- Sidejust above the heel, by which the foot portion ol' the boot muy be pulled on bei'ore the leg is lifted into place. rlhe bootleg is then pulled up und adjusted upon the lef, und se cured to the lefbr in any desirable way.

The advantages of this Construction over the old forni oi' rubber boot are too upi'nirenl lo need any 'further explanation.

2. A rubber boot the foot part ol`wl1ieh ol' indizi-rnbbei.' compound of substantially the usunl thiekness, and is adapted to be druwn upon the foot ol' the wearer without tmetion upon the leg part, und which has nelosed leg partof gossznner or substantially similar thin rubber-cloth material, provided with means ol` :tttuelnnent to the leg or body ol' the wem-e1', substantially us described.

JNO. .'r. ivinirigtiisoNQ Witnesses:

F. F. Riiixnoxn, 2d. linizn. 'l-IAie'nis.

1L is hereby ccrtilicd thu-L in Lclhfrs Intvnh Nn. ENSAM, ,'rrnnbml April n', 15M, upm. the application 0i' John J. Wiliizunsun, nl' Boston, Mnssawlmsutls, 1hr :in improvnnmnb in Rubber l}.10t1s,nn errm' appears in the printed spuciiinntiml rmplirixr;4 the. i'nihnring correction, viz: In lino 625, page l, imLwcun thu words iin :Imi (:nniinw thc word nnt Should be rond; amd that the Letters Patent shnnhi be rend with this currcction therein tio umku it; conform tu the rncord 0I' tbc onse in the Patentl Olicc.

Signed, count'ersgned, und senlml this 20th my of January, A. l). l.

M. L. JOSLYN,

Acting Secretary of the Inferior.

[SEAL] Gountcrsigued BENJ. BUTTERWORTH,

Commissonm of Pawnts. 

